Like many things, our rules are outdated. I'm fine with this though, the community as a whole can use some buzz and I can hardly blame other sites for doing it if we aren't. I'll be keeping an eye out on this one :)

As per an initiative from JayBorino and me, we've set up the Bi-Weekly Testing Thread, or BWTT, with the purpose of testing specific maps made by community members. What does this mean? Simple: editors in need of feedback suggest their own maps (either via PM to me or JayBorino, or by posting it in the intro thread), and we'll pick one that will be used for the BWTT.

For this exercise, we've once again picked a single player map that some of the older players and mappers on here may recognize. Mapper Coyc1 has made a map called "Banshee Strike", which is a remake of the old Sega Mega Drive game 'Urban Strike'. The player manages a tactical hovercraft Banshee, and is required to fulfill tasks such as destroying specific objects, saving hostages, and shipping cargo. It's a proper arcade game in the sense that no mouse is needed to play the map, and it should spark a bit of that Lost Vikings arcade machine feeling.

For the next two weeks, see if you can take the time to give the map a play-through and post your detailed feedback here. What did you like, what did you not like? What could be improved, and possibly: how?

This thread will stay up for two weeks, until tuesday, August 23, at which point I'll upload thread #10. Up until that point, all suggestions for maps that require testing are welcome - please put them in the general thread found here.

What has been said is mostly true, but don't forget the practicality of law. When people ask these kinds of questions they often get hung up in "how-would-it-work". While that's a fine exercise, 90% of that won't occur in the average situation. Jaywalking's illegal in some places, but I can assure you that those rules are not enforced in 99% of situations.

Same thing here: if you don't actually attempt to make money of your stuff or end up becoming some sort of super-content-creator (think Eul with the original DotA), then the likeliest scenario is that none of this will ever matter.

On top of that, contacting legal departments usually isn't going to have great results. I mean, you could certainly try, but people working there are not going to waste time (=money) writing you detailed instructions of what you can or cannot do. They expect you to hire your own lawyer to do that for you. The Blizzard legal department is there to protect Blizzard. Which means you're going to get a reply that says something general and vague along the lines of "The ToS and the EULA are binding" and "Blizzard owns any custom made stuff it can legally own once it is put onto the arcade". They're just trying to make sure Blizzard has the edge in any potential future lawsuit that may crop up between you and them, and are not going to put in any more time in than is required to do that.

As per an initiative from JayBorino and me, we've set up the Bi-Weekly Testing Thread, or BWTT, with the purpose of testing specific maps made by community members. What does this mean? Simple: editors in need of feedback suggest their own maps (either via PM to me or JayBorino, or by posting it in the intro thread), and we'll pick one that will be used for the BWTT.

A day late, a buck short. I'm writing the report on this week's BWTT, for which we've picked a promising map made by Lonestarkiller called "Rule of the Dollar 2342". Why is it promising? Simple: it's a map in a genre that isn't all that common within the arcade, where it can be found. It's a space-based strategy map with both space and ground components, where the aim is to win through diplomacy or macro-strategy moreso than the regular skirmish StarCraft 2 offers.

For the next two weeks, see if you can take the time to download the map, give it a play-through, and post your detailed feedback here. What did you like, what did you not like? What could be improved, and possibly: how?

This thread will stay up for two weeks, until tuesday, August 9, at which point I'll upload thread #9. Up until that point, all suggestions for maps that require testing are welcome - please put them in the general thread found here.

Weekly Terraining Exercise #253

Hey folks!

By request, a simple and laid back theme for the moment: "Holiday Feeling". Just give me any terrain related in some way to a holiday, if you're feeling it. Whether that's a StarCraft version of the place you're going, or a couple of Terran marines spending some well-earned R&R. Enjoy!

Weekly Terraining Exercise #252

Hey hey guys!

Do you guys remember that level from the Wings of Liberty campaign where you have to stay ahead of an exploding sun slowly scorching the planet you're on? I thought this idea would make for a fine theme, and as such, "Scorched by Fire" was born. What does this mean? Simple: you create a terrain that depicts a terrain that is either currently being obliterated by a huge sun, or that already has been and is all burnt and dusty.

So, by your own measuring stick: [by day, by week, by ratio, or by other]

1. How much time do you allocate for new game exposure?

I'd say around a quarter, though it differs a bit; I've had periods where all I did is play one or two multiplayer games with friends, and periods where I went through a couple of new games in 2-3 weeks. In general I make sure to keep trying new things that people I trust are saying is good, or that simply looks interesting to me personally. Having played Bastion, I recently jumped into Transistor, for example. Only ended up playing one session, still currently looking for the time to finish it. I think, for anybody with some kind of real vested interest in games (such as editors), trying new games constantly is incredibly important to broaden one's vision of what is out there and what can be done. I also try games I feel may be shit, from time to time - as long as I can obtain them without paying (Evolve being an example here, having recently turned free2play).

2. Do you play any games for fun, while contemporaneously working on projects?

3. Does playing games cut into your editing time? -and how do you handle this

These two are a bit complicated for me. I don't really 'edit' as such anymore, but I'm currently finishing up my master thesis in Game Studies. Ideally I'd maybe want to become some sort of developer (or level designer), but it's not a goal I'm currently doing anything for to concretely work towards. On the flipside, I also count playing games to get the experience as something that helps a great deal in improving my knowledge of how they work.